Oct 28, 2024

Langara College celebrates its eight Journalism program alum and one student recognized by the prestigious 38th Annual Webster Awards, which celebrate excellence in journalism in British Columbia across print, broadcast, and digital media.

Langara College’s Journalism program will be well represented at the 38th Annual Webster Awards on Monday, October 28, 2024. Eight Langara alum and a current student are recognized for their impactful work in news reporting, investigative journalism, and more.

The awards are named after the legendary Jack Webster, one of Canada’s best-known, respected, and influential reporters whose career spanned nearly seven decades. The Websters are the premier awards honouring the work of journalists across print, broadcast, and digital media in British Columbia.

Current student Yashvika Grover already made waves by receiving a 2024 Jack Webster Foundation Student Journalism Award ahead of the event. This award, valued at $2,000, is designed to foster the next generation of journalists in British Columbia, helping them hone their craft and contribute to the ever-evolving media landscape.

We'd like to think we're doing something right in the training we provide. We are constantly re-evaluating and updating our program in response to student experience and advice from the industry. It's gratifying to see former students nominated, but our fundamental goal is to make program graduates highly attractive to employers and fully realized journalists and communicators who love and are good at the work they are doing.
– Barry Link, Department Chair, Langara Journalism

Langara nominees (in bold), the categories in which they were nominated, and their stories are:

BEST NEWS REPORTING OF THE YEAR – PRINT/DIGITAL
More than just driver error? Why trucks keep hitting B.C. overpasses
Gordon Hoekstra
Vancouver Sun

Exclusive: Audit Reveals Major Failures in MCFD Region Where Boy Died
Katie Hyslop, Jen St. Denis
The Tyee

EXCELLENCE IN FEATURE REPORTING – RADIO/AUDIO
Better Late
Cathy Browne, Jennifer Wilson
CBC Vancouver

EXCELLENCE IN FEATURE REPORTING – PRINT/DIGITAL
Edge of Extinction
Justine Hunter
The Globe and Mail

EXCELLENCE IN INVESTIGATIVE AND ENTERPRISE JOURNALISM
A ‘predator’ at CSIS
Darryl Greer
The Canadian Press

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATIVE JOURNALISM
They lived, they were loved, then suddenly they were gone: Stories of lives lost to toxic drugs
Courtney Dickson, Akshay Kulkarni, Arrthy Thayaparan, Bridgette Watson, Jon Azpiri, Michelle Gomez, Rhianna Schmunk, Tanis Fowler, Jan Zeschky, Franny Karlinsky, Andrew McManus, Robert Davidson, Baneet Braich
CBC Vancouver

Nourish: How First Nations are bringing food sovereignty back to the table
Stephanie Kwetásel’wet Wood, Michelle Cyca, Lindsay Sample, Karan Saxena, Ainslie Cruickshank, Matt Simmons, Shawn Parkinson, Karlene Harvey, Jesse Winter, Marty Clemens, Jennifer Gauthier
The Narwhal

EXCELLENCE IN ARTS AND CULTURE REPORTING
A stolen totem pole returns to the Nisg̱a’a Nation
Cara McKenna, Matt Simmons, Marty Clemens
IndigiNews and The Narwhal

EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENT REPORTING
Trapped in Ice: A Glacial Reveal
Justine Hunter
The Globe and Mail

The strong showing by Journalism program alum at the awards reflects the education they received at Langara.

“We're proud that Langara Journalism's longstanding legacy of training professional journalists continues to echo through major events like the Webster Awards,” adds Link. “We train our graduates to succeed in the real world, so it's gratifying to see them achieve real world success, even years after they've left the program. It means their trust in us, and our investment in them, paid off. We'll work to maintain that trust with students for years to come.”

Updated October 29, 2024 | Congratulations to the following Langarans who took home awards in their respective categories:

  • Gordon Hoekstra for Best News Reporting of the Year – Print/Digital
  • Jennifer Wilson (with Cathy Browne) for Excellence in Feature Reporting – Radio/Audio
  • Jesse Winter et al. for Excellence in Innovative Journalism
  • Justine Hunter for Excellence in Environment Reporting

Join us in celebrating the outstanding achievements of our Langara alumni and student nominees. The winners will be announced at the 38th Annual Webster Awards dinner awards evening on Monday, October 28, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.